Charging
How long does it take to charge on average?
There are 3 levels of charger. The scope of this project only included significant data collection for a level 2 charger (data for other chargers were collected,:
Level 1 (110V): A full charge takes 8 - 20 hours.
- Level 2 (240V): From 33 charges in our dataset using a Flo level 2 charger and :
- The average charge rate was 0.12 kWh/min.
- The lowest charge time was 0.12 kWh/min.
- The highest charge rate was 0.17 kWh/min.
- The E-golf battery capacity is 35.8kWh., meaning the average theoretical full charge time is 5 hours, the longest charge time is 8.5hrs and the quickest charge time is 3.5hrs.
Level 3 (480V): A full charge takes 30 minutes to charge a vehicle to 80%.
Source for level 1 and level 3 Charger info: http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/vehicles/electric/charging-electric-vehicle.shtml
What are the options for home charging stations and how much do they cost?
The E-golf comes with a charger that is capable of level 1 charging from a 110V outlet.
Aftermarket charging stations from companies like Flo or ChargePoint are also available, which offer features such as faster charging than a wall outlet alone, longer charging cord, warranty and smartphone compatibility.
Source: Owner’s Manual
Which chargers are compatible with the e-golf?
The E-golf supports both SAE J1772 (J Plug) as well as CCS charger types, which allows the vehicle to be charged using level 1, 2 (J1772) and 3 (CCS) connectors.
Plugshare is a great web application that shows every charging station across the globe and allows filtering for plug designs, charging networks, payment requirements and more.
Source: https://pulse.vwmodels.ca/2017/06/electric-vehicle-charging-101/
Consumer
How much does an e-golf cost?
The MSRP of a 2019 Volkswagen E-golf is $43,020, plus the following fees and taxes:
- Federal Air Conditioning: $100.00
- AMVIC fee: $6.25
- Tire tax: $20.00 or $4.00/tire
- Administration fee: $599
The total price for an E-Golf is approximately $43,745.25.
Source: Southland Volkswagen
How much does it cost to charge the e-golf?
Using a rate of 12.8 cents/kWh and a battery capacity of 35.8kWh, it costs $4.58 for a full charge.
Public charging stations are often free, but some charge a flat rate or cost per kWh that is comparable to the cost of charging at home.
Source for utility rate: Surveyed Medicine Hat residents for their utility rates.
Source for battery capacity: https://ev-database.org/car/1087/Volkswagen-e-Golf
What maintenance do electric vehicles require?
Electric vehicles don’t require oil changes, fuel filter replacements, spark plug replacements or emission checks, but still will require regular maintenance of the brakes, tires, coolant and of course the battery. See your local VW dealer for more detailed information on
What type of warranty does the e-golf have?
The warranty for the e-golf is as follows:
- Bumper to bumper coverage for 4 years or 80,000 km
- Powertrain limited warranty for 5 years or 100,000 km
- Corrosion Perforation warranty for 7 years, no kilometer limit
- High voltage system warranty for 5 years or 100,000 km
- High voltage battery warranty for 8 years or 160,000 km (net capacity loss below 70%)
Source: Canada Warranty and Maintenance booklet (For more information contact Southland Volkswagen)
What type of Government incentives come with owning an electric vehicle?
As per the iZEV program, the Canadian Federal Government will award rebates for the following amounts (pertaining to the 2019 VW E-golf):
- $5,000 for full purchase
- $1,250 for a 12-month lease
- $2,500 for a 24-month lease
- $3,750 for a 36-month lease
Source: https://www.tc.gc.ca/en/services/road/innovative-technologies/zero-emission-vehicles.html | Page last modified 08/14/2019
How much does the e-golf cost to drive (charging cost/km)?
From our data, the average cost per km is $0.02.
What is the cost of ownership for an e-golf (over 6 years)?
The total upfront cost of an e-golf is $43,745.25 or $7290.88/yr, and assuming it is driven 15000 km/yr and using a value of 0.02$/km (as per our data), the cost to charge is $300/yr. This brings the cost to drive the E-golf per year $7590.88.
Source: Data collected by MHC/industry lectric vehicle project team. See your local VW dealer for information on yearly maintenance costs as these may vary by region
Driving
What is the averge range of the vehicle?
| Temperature (degrees C) | Range indicated at full charge (km) | Count |
|---|---|---|
| -35.1 to -20 | 128 | 38 |
| -20 to -5 | 189 | 110 |
| -5 to 10 | 240 | 225 |
| 10 to 25 | 269 | 123 |
| 25 to 40.1 | 263 | 45 |
Source: Data collected by MHC/industry lectric vehicle project team
What is energy recuperation?
When the vehicle is braked or coasting (and not in energy recuperation level 0, different levels are discussed below), electrical energy is generated via the electric motor and stored in the high-voltage battery. This feature is called brake energy recuperation.
There are a total of 5 brake energy recuperation levels:
Level 0 (D0): The vehicle can coast freely. energy is only recuperated whern pressing the brake pedal.
Level 1 (D1): Light brake energy recuperation.
Level 2 (D2): Medium brake energy recuperation.
Level 3 (D3): High brake energy recuperation.
Level 5 (B): Very high brake energy recuperation.
Source: Owner’s Manual
How fast is the e-golf?
Relevant specs of the e-golf are as follows:
Top speed: 150 km/h.
Time to accelerate from 0 - 100 km/h: 9.6 seconds
Instantaneous torque: 214 lb-ft (270 Nm)
Horsepower: 134 hp
What are the drive modes?
The drive modes change the way the e-golf consumes power:
Normal: Uses normal drivetrain and air conditioning power consumption. The full power of the electric motor is available. Maximum speed is reduced to 140km/h.
Eco: Energy consumption is reduced compared to the Normal driving mode. The power of the electric motor is reduced compared to the normal driving mode. Climatronic1 heating and cooling is optimized for consumption. Maximum speed is reduced to 120km/h.
Eco-Plus: The power of the electric motor is reduced beyond that of Eco mode. Climatronic heating and cooling is disabled, but defrost and ventilation are still available. Maximum speed is reduced to 95 km/h.
Source: Owner’s Manual
1. Climatronic refers to the vehicle’s automatic climate control function, which allows the internal temperature to be set at a certain degree value.
How does temperature affect the range of the e-golf?
According to our data (shown above), the predicted range of the e-golf increases as temperature increases.
Source: Data collected by MHC/industry electric vehicle project team
What is blue score and the Think Blue Trainer?
The Think Blue trainer analyzes your driving and utilizes a visual display to help you adopt a more energy efficient driving style. Blue score is the metric used to rate the efficiency of your driving style.
The main screen of the Think Blue Trainer displays a circle that fills with blue segments as the car is driven, each segment representing a 5 second interval of driving. Each segment is a mini gauge showing the blue score awarded during that interval.
Source: Owner’s Manual
Driver Feedback
How does the car feel to drive?
Driver A: It was “zippy”. It had great horsepower.
Driver B: The car is very nice with all available torque at take-off. I loved the departure feature in the winter, getting into a warm and defrosted car ready to go while plugged in was great. The car handled great with all of the weight so close to the ground and evenly distributed, The heating and air conditioning was very quick and kept the cabin feeling great. I really enjoyed the experience of driving the car.
Driver C: Great, accelerates fast and all of the featyres make the car a great experience: Lane assist, backup cam, cruise control, departure, etc.
Driver D: Good, was smooth and felt clean and less bulky than my gas vehicle. There were a few times when it didn’t start fully which were confusing, but otherwise it was awesome.
Driver E: So quiet, and so smooth to drive! I loved it.
Driver F: It was super fun to drive, it felt like a go-kart. Plenty of acceleration, good handling, stable on the highway. It was easier to drive than my car, just push the pedal and zoom zoom! All the little features like lane assist and auto-park were neat, but not much more than a gimmick in my experience.
Driver G: Smooth, quiet, fast, and fun!
Did you feel the car was convenient to drive? Why or why not?
Driver A: The only challenge was the data gathering, the car itself
Driver B: Around town and short distances the car was great. The inconvenience comes when you want to travel more than 200km. With the current battery you need to stop often, and for a significant duration (around 1 hour).
Driver C: Yes, it was very convenient to drive, the actual driving of the car varied greatly because the amount you have to brake can be greatly reduced by the state of battery and how much regeneration you have selected.
Driver D: Very inconvenient, but I have a toddler - so I had to install the car seat and be yelled at for “snacks” while collecting data.
Driver E: Yes, although data collection was a bit of work :P.
Driver F: Charging was interesting - I found that once I started charging it nightly, like my phone, I stopped worrying about range anxiety.
Driver G: Yes, it did everything I needed it to do.
Was the infotainment system intuitive to use? Why or why not?
Driver A Relatively easy to use, the “Blue Score” should have been programmed to show up on the driving data screen.
Driver B: Mostly yes, a couple things required searching for but it was overall easy to use.
Driver C: Sure, my car doesnt have anything like it to compare to - but I was able to connect my phone and make calls/listen to music without an issue.
Driver D:Yes, it was easy to use and collect valid data off of.
Driver E: Yes it was alright.
Driver F: For the most part. Sometimes if I accidentally went to the main screen it took me awhile to get back to the data screen. There are a lot of options on the main screen which are cumbersome to figure out if your attention is divided.
Driver G: I only used for the necssary data so my opinion is vague. Seems ok!
How likely are you to buy an electric vehicle in the next 5 years?
Driver A: Pretty unlikely, simply because my car still has a lot of miles left to go on it. When the time comes to buy something, I’ll definitely look at whats available.
Driver B: Extremely likely. It would save tons of money on gas! Even brand new, the price is similar to other gas models. For example, a brand new Ford Flex is also around $50,000.
Driver C: 5% likely. Until battery technology or charging technology improves I will look for a vehicle that can travel long distances without the need to constantly stop and spend an hour or more at the refueling station. If more people start purchasing electric vehicles, congestion at the charge stations will be very inconvenient.
Driver D:I would for sure. In that time we’ll have longer range and more charging options.
Driver E: I most likely will not be purchasing an electric vehicle in the next five years because I just updated and they last me longer than that. I am however looking forward to the next upgrade, it will most likely be electric or have an electrified component to it (PHEV).
Driver F: Likely, it seems intuitive.
Driver G: I’d like to, but need the range to increase a lot before it would work well for my lifestyle. I also need to do more research (or have it made readily available by VW?) on the batteries - warranty, lifespan, how environmentally damaging this battery is compared to conventional batteries in terms of mining, disposal etc. I just don’t know enough yet.
What was your favorite part about driving the car?
Driver A: Flooring it, for sure!
Driver B: Cheap travel cost, electricity recuperation via engine brakes, car features, and (what seemed like) very low maintenance.
Driver C: I never had to worry about it running out of fuel with the trips I was taking when it was fully charged in the morning.
Driver D: Seemingly unlimited horsepower!
Driver E: It’s really fast! Almost got a few speeding tickets.. :P
Driver F: Taking my dad for a drive and showing him how quiet it is!
Driver G: Inexpensive and quiet.